00:00:03
SAM DOUGLAS: In the United
States of America,
00:00:06
the world's most
murderous prisoners
00:00:09
are locked behind bars.
00:00:12
The state with the highest
number of inmates is Texas,
00:00:16
and one of them is arguably
the deadliest of them all--
00:00:21
Billy Joel Tracy.
00:00:24
MARK ADCOCK SR: Billy Joel
Tracy is at a level of evil
00:00:27
like almost no one before.
00:00:30
Human life means
absolutely nothing to him.
00:00:34
- He viciously attacked
a 16-year-old girl.
00:00:37
LYNN LAROWE: He choked her.
00:00:39
He tried to smother
her with a pillow.
00:00:41
He beat her
into unconsciousness.
00:00:44
Once she was subdued,
Tracy basically
00:00:47
dropped her out of a window.
00:00:51
Billy Joel Tracy
is an opportunist.
00:00:53
He waits, and he plans.
00:00:55
And it's like a cat
waiting to pounce.
00:00:58
SAM DOUGLAS: Even behind
bars, Billy Joel Tracy
00:01:01
poses a threat to everyone.
00:01:19
PAUL BRITT: I
don't think he had
00:01:20
any consequences for anything.
00:01:22
I mean, honestly,
when I grabbed him,
00:01:25
I thought I grabbed
the devil for a minute.
00:01:26
SAM DOUGLAS: His
reputation is that
00:01:28
of a cold, calculated killer.
00:01:31
KEN DAVISON: He hammered
on him with a 20-inch slot bar,
00:01:34
caved in the back
of his head, and then
00:01:35
threw him down the stairs.
00:01:37
LYNN LAROWE: I don't know if
you can design a prison that's
00:01:40
so restrictive that he
won't find a way to defeat
00:01:43
the security and kill someone.
00:01:47
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy
currently sits on death row
00:01:50
awaiting his final punishment.
00:01:53
PAUL BRITT: Billy Tracy
deserves the death penalty
00:01:55
every day and twice on Sunday.
00:01:58
- Some people don't believe
in the death penalty.
00:02:01
I think the death penalty was
made for Billy Joel Tracy.
00:02:04
[theme music]
00:02:30
SAM DOUGLAS: The Texas
Department of Criminal Justice
00:02:32
has 104 prisons,
known as units,
00:02:36
spread out across the state.
00:02:39
The Barry Telford Unit,
which opened in 1995,
00:02:43
houses the most dangerous
and volatile inmates.
00:02:49
- The Telford Unit is a maximum
security prison, and it houses
00:02:55
approximately 3,000 offenders.
00:02:58
- The Barry Telford Unit
houses inmates from G1 to G5.
00:03:03
It's a classification
level for inmates.
00:03:05
And then you have
administrative
00:03:07
segregation offenders.
00:03:08
The worst of the worst
would be a way
00:03:10
to describe the prisoners
that are in ad seg.
00:03:12
JAMIE MORGAN KANE: They put you
in administrative segregation
00:03:15
when you have been deemed to be
a threat to the institution,
00:03:18
safety and security of staff
or inmates, or both.
00:03:23
MARK ADCOCK SR: They're
allowed out one hour per day,
00:03:25
and they're placed
by their cells
00:03:27
into an individual
recreation room.
00:03:31
MARK ADCOCK JR: It's loud.
00:03:33
It's chaotic.
00:03:34
You deal with inmates with
severe psychological issues.
00:03:37
You deal with inmates who have
just given up on everything.
00:03:40
They will hurt you
if they have the chance.
00:03:43
SAM DOUGLAS: One
prisoner who spent
00:03:45
most of his time
in ad seg because he's
00:03:48
classified as extremely
dangerous is Billy Joel Tracy.
00:04:02
LYNN LAROWE: He managed
to get a hold of a welding rod
00:04:05
that he converted,
you know, probably
00:04:07
sharpened it to a point,
and he used that to stab
00:04:11
a guard in the shoulder.
00:04:15
PAUL BRITT: He can
play a part where
00:04:17
you kind of trust
him a little bit,
00:04:19
and you think he's a good guy.
00:04:22
And I think he played that
part a couple of times
00:04:24
and convinced people that he
wasn't as dangerous as he was,
00:04:26
and that's when
people got hurt.
00:04:29
SAM DOUGLAS: No one is safe
when he takes a dislike to you.
00:04:40
LYNN LAROWE: Tracy slipped
a hand free of his cuff
00:04:43
and continued to deliver
blows into his head
00:04:47
and face like one
would wield a hammer.
00:04:51
KEN DAVISON: How he
could just beat somebody
00:04:54
until they're lifeless
and then walk back to your cell
00:04:57
like you just went
out for a smoke.
00:04:59
LINA HAJI: Tracy is probably
one of the most dangerous
00:05:01
individuals on this planet.
00:05:03
He's shown sexual violence.
00:05:05
He's shown physical violence.
00:05:07
What makes Tracy
so evil is that when
00:05:10
you look at his victims,
it really appears
00:05:12
that no one is off limits.
00:05:22
SAM DOUGLAS: Billy Joel Tracy
was born on November 30, 1977,
00:05:28
in Wisconsin.
00:05:29
While still
an infant, his parents
00:05:31
moved him to Dallas, Texas.
00:05:36
LYNN LAROWE: Billy
Joel Tracy didn't have
00:05:39
the most perfect upbringing.
00:05:40
His parents both suffered
from mental health issues.
00:05:43
There were allegations
of physical abuse.
00:05:46
There may have been a lack
of emotional support for him.
00:05:50
LINA HAJI: When you have
a dysfunctional household
00:05:52
as a child, there's already
a built-in instability
00:05:56
in your life.
00:05:57
You're not sure where you're
safe or where you're unsafe.
00:06:02
You likely don't have
a lot of structure
00:06:04
or direction or rules.
00:06:07
It has the capability
of completely changing
00:06:10
the trajectory of your life.
00:06:14
- In his adolescence,
Billy Joel Tracey's mother
00:06:17
institutionalized him
in a psychiatric hospital.
00:06:20
He didn't seem to really
have any clear indicators
00:06:23
of a serious mental
condition that
00:06:26
would warrant hospitalization,
but his mother put him there.
00:06:32
LINA HAJI: If your family
has shown you
00:06:35
that societal
norms don't matter,
00:06:38
by the time you're
12 years old and
00:06:40
you're in a psychiatric
hospital,
00:06:42
there's a huge potential for
you to already be rebellious.
00:06:45
SAM DOUGLAS: After spending
his early teenage years
00:06:48
making repeat visits
to the hospital,
00:06:51
Tracy eventually returned
to live with his parents,
00:06:54
but in 1994, at the age of 17,
his mother kicked him out.
00:07:06
- He had to try
to earn his own way.
00:07:09
He had to find a place to live.
00:07:14
- To have a 17-year-old with
such a dysfunctional childhood
00:07:18
come out of a psychiatric
hospital,
00:07:20
be kicked out by his mother,
and now he's essentially still
00:07:25
a child being thrown
into the real world,
00:07:28
that's a recipe for disaster.
00:07:32
SAM DOUGLAS: Just a few
months later, Tracy had
00:07:34
his first run-in with the law.
00:07:37
LYNN LAROWE: He was
facing felony charges.
00:07:39
He threatened
a witness in the case.
00:07:42
The most serious crime
for which he was convicted
00:07:44
at that point was retaliation.
00:07:46
That can involve taking some
sort of action against somebody
00:07:51
in, basically,
retaliation for something
00:07:53
that they've done
that you didn't like.
00:07:56
SAM DOUGLAS: After serving 20
months of a three-year sentence
00:07:59
for the crime, Tracy was
paroled in July 1996,
00:08:03
returning to live
in Dallas, where
00:08:06
he found himself an apartment.
00:08:11
One evening, he invited
a friend over for drinks,
00:08:14
who brought with
him his girlfriend,
00:08:16
16-year-old Kasey Kuhn.
00:08:20
- He invited Kasey
Kuhn and her boyfriend
00:08:23
over to his apartment to, you
know, drink beer, smoke weed,
00:08:27
and just generally hang out.
00:08:31
Throughout that evening, Billy
Joel Tracy had been making
00:08:34
some sexual remarks to Kasey.
00:08:37
She just sort of blew him off.
00:08:39
She felt safe with
her boyfriend there.
00:08:42
SAM DOUGLAS: Later
that night, Kasey and
00:08:45
her boyfriend left Tracy's.
00:08:47
Kasey returned home where
she lived with her mom.
00:08:51
LYNN LAROWE: She
was in her bedroom.
00:08:54
She was dressed for bed,
and she heard some tap-tap
00:08:57
tapping on the window.
00:08:59
And it was Tracy.
00:09:01
She told Tracy,
you know, go away,
00:09:05
but Tracy was able to gain
access to her bedroom.
00:09:08
He began disrobing, took off
his shoes, took off his shirt.
00:09:12
And she pled with him to leave,
but he began to assault her.
00:09:18
He choked her.
00:09:19
He tried to smother
her with a pillow.
00:09:22
He beat her
into unconsciousness.
00:09:30
LINA HAJI: He is showing
signs of narcissism.
00:09:33
His needs come first
before anybody else's.
00:09:35
There's also an element
of a need for control and
00:09:38
power here.
00:09:39
Because this is
her private home.
00:09:41
This is her bedroom.
00:09:42
This is her body.
00:09:44
And yet none of that factors
into his decision making.
00:09:50
SAM DOUGLAS: Thinking
Kasey was dead,
00:09:52
he dropped her out
of the bedroom window
00:09:55
and jumped out after her.
00:09:57
He picked her up
and carried her to his car,
00:10:00
placing her in the passenger
seat footwell
00:10:03
before driving off
towards Rockwall County.
00:10:08
LYNN LAROWE: Billy Joel
Tracy realized at some point
00:10:11
that Kasey was still alive.
00:10:13
He stopped the car,
assaulted her again,
00:10:16
and then he drove
her to a wooded area
00:10:19
where we believe he
was planning to kill
00:10:21
her and conceal her body.
00:10:28
It's in the middle
of the night,
00:10:30
and as he's out there
in the woods, just by chance,
00:10:35
a couple of patrol officers
happen to see the car parked
00:10:38
at the side of the road.
00:10:41
PAUL BRITT: My name
is Paul Britt,
00:10:43
and I was a city of Rockwall
police officer in 1998.
00:10:46
I think I was about six
months in on being on my own
00:10:49
when I came up on Billy Tracy.
00:10:52
I was on night shift.
00:10:54
It was 4:13 in the morning.
00:10:55
I was driving
north on Ridge Road
00:10:57
and happened to see a white Kia
Sportage parked off in a field
00:11:01
next to the railroad track.
00:11:02
And so I pulled in behind it,
let dispatch know I was there.
00:11:08
As soon as I opened
the door and stepped out, I
00:11:11
heard someone say, "Help me."
00:11:13
And I had never heard
something almost
00:11:15
so forlorn and just desperate.
00:11:17
I mean, it still
makes my hair stand
00:11:18
up just thinking about it,
because I can hear it still.
00:11:21
And I popped my flashlight up
and looked into the tree line
00:11:24
over by us, and I
saw Billy Tracy.
00:11:27
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy approached
Officer Paul Britt.
00:11:31
LYNN LAROWE: Tracy
lunged at him.
00:11:34
The two began
to struggle physically.
00:11:36
Tracy was a young 20-year-old
man in excellent physical
00:11:41
condition with
training as a boxer,
00:11:44
prison fights
under his belt, and
00:11:46
he's fighting with
a police officer
00:11:48
who was pretty young himself.
00:11:49
PAUL BRITT: I think
at the time I was 30 or 31.
00:11:52
I just remember
we were fighting,
00:11:54
and I had called for backup
and didn't hear anything.
00:11:57
We weren't like going
to sit down between rounds.
00:12:00
We threw punches
for six minutes.
00:12:02
We threw kicks for six minutes.
00:12:04
He cut me.
00:12:06
I have a little
divot right there.
00:12:07
And I could feel the blood
starting to run down.
00:12:10
I was scared I
was going to die,
00:12:12
and that's when
my sergeant showed up.
00:12:15
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy immediately
fled into the woods.
00:12:18
Paul was ready to give
chase, but stopped
00:12:22
when he saw Kasey Kuhn move.
00:12:27
PAUL BRITT: I thought
she was already
00:12:29
dead, just almost a ghost.
00:12:31
I've never seen anybody
like that before,
00:12:33
and I've seen a lot of stuff.
00:12:35
I just remember her whole
nightgown was coated in blood,
00:12:38
and I really only
remember seeing,
00:12:39
like, one tooth in her mouth.
00:12:41
And her face was
swollen beyond belief.
00:12:43
SAM DOUGLAS: Kasey was
rushed to the hospital
00:12:46
and a manhunt for Billy
Joel Tracy began.
00:12:51
Alerts were issued
throughout the Rockwall area
00:12:55
whilst a helicopter was
deployed to track him down.
00:13:01
LYNN LAROWE: Tracy
was on the run,
00:13:03
and he hid
in a variety of places.
00:13:06
He was just breaking
into houses.
00:13:09
During the day, he would slip
in, and he would steal cash.
00:13:13
He would steal jewelry.
00:13:14
He would take some food.
00:13:16
SAM DOUGLAS: 11
hours later, Tracy
00:13:19
was discovered hiding
in a house in Rockwall,
00:13:21
55 miles away from the scene
of the attack in the woods.
00:13:27
- He had hidden in a closet.
00:13:29
I mean, he'd even, like,
made himself a little pallet
00:13:32
to sleep on, and was
discovered when
00:13:37
the homeowner and her daughter
came home one afternoon.
00:13:43
He did not attack
them, but obviously
00:13:46
they alerted authorities.
00:13:47
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy
ran out of the house
00:13:50
and along a road through the
neighborhood, with authorities
00:13:53
hot on his tail.
00:13:56
PAUL BRITT: At 3
o'clock, dispatch
00:13:59
called me and said, we
got him, and that he took
00:14:01
off and was a straight shot.
00:14:02
People were chasing him across
to the other house where
00:14:05
he climbed onto the roof.
00:14:08
LYNN LAROWE: Law enforcement
has surrounded the house.
00:14:10
Rather than surrender,
Tracy shouted, "Bye-bye,"
00:14:15
and did basically, like,
a backflip off of the house,
00:14:18
falling and injuring himself.
00:14:21
PAUL BRITT: There was a tree.
00:14:22
There was a freshly tilled
flower bed surrounded
00:14:26
by concrete everywhere.
00:14:27
And he hit the tree and the
freshly tilled flower bed.
00:14:31
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy was arrested
and taken into custody.
00:14:37
Miraculously, 16-year-old
Kasey survived.
00:14:42
LYNN LAROWE: She
was unrecognizable
00:14:44
after that attack.
00:14:45
She had a broken orbital
bone around her eye.
00:14:49
There were cigarette burns
on her ankles and feet.
00:14:54
She was beaten and bruised.
00:14:57
They had to put a metal
plate in her face.
00:15:01
LINA HAJI: What
she went through
00:15:03
was absolutely horrific.
00:15:06
There's no doubt in my mind
that it will probably affect
00:15:08
her for the rest of her life.
00:15:17
SAM DOUGLAS: 20-year-old
Billy Joel Tracy was placed
00:15:20
in Rockwall County jail.
00:15:23
He was charged
with the kidnapping
00:15:24
and aggravated
assault of Kasey Kuhn,
00:15:27
as well as assault
on Officer Paul Britt.
00:15:33
- He was a straight pain
in the ass in the jail.
00:15:36
He would make
human waste bombs.
00:15:39
He would pee and put feces
in cups, throw it at people.
00:15:43
He would try
to fight the jailers.
00:15:46
He would throw
things at them and
00:15:47
just wear out the call button
in the dispatch of the jail.
00:15:53
SAM DOUGLAS: Six months
later, in July 1998,
00:15:57
Tracy's trial began.
00:15:59
Officer Paul Britt was
brought in to testify.
00:16:02
PAUL BRITT: I just
stared at him.
00:16:04
He didn't want to look at me.
00:16:05
I think he never
expected to be caught.
00:16:08
And he's mad that he got
caught and he couldn't beat me.
00:16:12
SAM DOUGLAS: Billy Joel
Tracy was sentenced
00:16:15
to two life sentences
for the attack
00:16:17
on Kasey Kuhn
and an additional 20 years
00:16:21
for the attack on Paul Britt.
00:16:24
He was sent to Allred prison
unit based near the town
00:16:28
of Wichita Falls.
00:16:33
- There's no denying
that Texas has
00:16:35
one of the most scary prison
systems in the United States.
00:16:39
There are units that don't
have air conditioning,
00:16:42
and in the summertimes
in Texas,
00:16:44
the stifling heat
is killing inmates.
00:16:46
They are tough, and the worst
of the worst wind up in them.
00:16:50
- I believe there are
about 100 different prisons
00:16:53
in the state of Texas,
probably one of the largest
00:16:55
in the United States.
00:16:58
LYNN LAROWE: At the Allred
unit, Billy Joel Tracy at first
00:17:02
was allowed to live
in general population.
00:17:05
Tracy began to really
show that assaultive side,
00:17:10
and he kept winding up
in administrative segregation.
00:17:13
He would just get into
altercations with an inmate.
00:17:16
If they had a dispute
over something,
00:17:18
it would wind up physical.
00:17:20
As for the staff, he
would make their lives
00:17:23
a living hell by doing things
like flooding his cell.
00:17:26
I think he just was
generally menacing.
00:17:33
- This is not somebody
who's going to say,
00:17:36
well, I got caught,
I'm in prison.
00:17:37
I should now change who I am.
00:17:39
For somebody with
a criminal mindset,
00:17:41
that's only going
to flare up more.
00:17:44
If anything, it
gets exacerbated.
00:17:46
Because now you're
in a controlled environment,
00:17:48
so now you're angry
because you're not free.
00:17:50
You're being told what
to do all the time.
00:17:53
You're in a confined space.
00:17:55
Prison for most people is
a deterrence, not for Tracy.
00:18:00
JAMIE MORGAN KANE: Inmates
take great pleasure
00:18:02
in guards' discomfort.
00:18:04
It was not unusual
back in the day
00:18:06
when we had Zippo
lighters and lighter fluid
00:18:09
for guys to squirt lighter
fluid on the back of a guard's
00:18:12
uniform as he walked by,
and somebody down the road
00:18:15
would throw a match
and set him on fire.
00:18:18
- Tracy committed
at least 27 assaults.
00:18:22
It was just misconduct after
misconduct, misbehavior
00:18:26
after misbehavior.
00:18:28
When you are serving
a life sentence,
00:18:30
I think it was pretty
easy for Tracy to look at,
00:18:33
what have I got to lose?
00:18:36
SAM DOUGLAS:
Following an attack
00:18:38
on a correctional
officer, Tracy
00:18:41
was transferred to the Clements
Unit in Amarillo.
00:18:45
- He would behave
for long enough
00:18:48
to get into a less restrictive
environment within the prison.
00:18:52
But once in that less
restrictive environment,
00:18:55
it was only a matter of time
before he did something
00:18:58
that left someone injured.
00:19:06
In November of 2005, while
at the Clements Unit,
00:19:10
Billy Joel Tracy was
in general population,
00:19:14
and the inmates were all
sort of milling about,
00:19:17
outside of their cells.
00:19:19
Officer Katie Stanley is simply
walking by doing her job,
00:19:25
and Tracy just leaps on her and
is just pummeling her, brutally
00:19:31
attacking Officer Stanley.
00:19:34
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy stabbed
39-year-old Katie Stanley with
00:19:38
a shank multiple
times, puncturing
00:19:41
her lungs and leaving her
fighting for her life.
00:19:44
- He lost the knife
in her body.
00:19:46
He proceeded to kick
and stomp on her, leaving shoe
00:19:50
imprints on her face and body.
00:19:53
He attacked her.
00:19:54
And then he tried to throw
her over that railing,
00:19:57
but was unable to do so, I
think, before he ran off.
00:20:02
She was so covered in blood
that when her fellow officers
00:20:06
arrived to render aid to her,
they didn't know if they were
00:20:09
treating a man or a woman.
00:20:12
That's how messed up
she was physically.
00:20:18
SAM DOUGLAS: When questioned
about his motivation
00:20:21
behind the attack, Tracy
said that his toothpaste
00:20:25
had been confiscated.
00:20:43
LINA HAJI: This is a woman in
a position of authority who's
00:20:46
capable of telling him
what to do, when to do it,
00:20:49
how to do it.
00:20:51
He already has
a hatred for women.
00:20:53
He's already violent.
00:20:54
He already hates authority.
00:20:55
So a female correction
officer is really
00:20:57
the perfect target for him.
00:20:59
- I believe Tracy intended
to kill Katie Stanley.
00:21:03
Tracy has a penchant
for picking out
00:21:05
people he deems
to be vulnerable,
00:21:08
people he thinks he can for
sure get the upper hand with.
00:21:12
SAM DOUGLAS: Despite
her injuries,
00:21:14
Officer Stanley made a full
recovery, continuing to work
00:21:18
as a correctional officer.
00:21:20
Tracy was transferred to the
Robertson Unit in Abilene.
00:21:27
LYNN LAROWE: The prison
began to handle
00:21:28
him even more carefully.
00:21:31
Billy Joel Tracy's life
was lived completely
00:21:34
in administrative segregation.
00:21:36
He had these
security designations
00:21:39
that were there to put the
correctional officers on alert,
00:21:43
that he was an extremely
dangerous inmate,
00:21:46
and that he should be
handled with caution
00:21:49
and not by an officer alone.
00:21:55
SAM DOUGLAS: For the attack
on Officer Stanley,
00:21:57
Tracy was sentenced to an
additional 45-year prison term.
00:22:02
- Tracy is capable of behaving
when he wants to behave
00:22:07
and then waiting for the exact
moment to pounce,
00:22:12
when he can attack
and do the most damage.
00:22:17
SAM DOUGLAS: Now locked up
in solitary confinement,
00:22:20
Tracy was no longer
seen as a major threat
00:22:24
until he found a way
to attack again.
00:22:29
- In January of 2009 while
at the Robertson unit,
00:22:33
Correctional
Officer Brian Lomas
00:22:35
was there to transport
Tracy back
00:22:38
from the shower
area to his cell
00:22:42
when Tracy attacked Officer
Lomas with a weapon he had
00:22:47
constructed from plastic
disposable razors
00:22:50
that inmates are given to use.
00:22:52
He slashed him
all over his face.
00:23:05
Doctors had to use
over 200 stitches
00:23:08
to put him back together.
00:23:11
He's got scars from being
slashed across the face
00:23:15
with razor blades.
00:23:17
Officer Lomas's face
will never be the same.
00:23:21
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy,
now 33 years old,
00:23:25
was convicted of assaulting
a public servant.
00:23:29
Another 10 years was
added on to his sentence.
00:23:33
Tracy was moved again, this
time to the Hughes Unit
00:23:37
in Gatesville.
00:23:40
LYNN LAROWE: He's just
racking up more and more time
00:23:44
as he's shifted from
unit to unit to unit
00:23:48
within the state of Texas.
00:23:50
I can't imagine that
that 10-year sentence
00:23:53
for assaulting Brian
Lomas had really any
00:23:56
impact on Tracy whatsoever.
00:24:00
LINA HAJI: I think he
probably wanted to kill,
00:24:03
but I also think that
he wanted to inflict
00:24:07
harm, pain, and torture.
00:24:11
Whether he kills them or not is
almost inconsequential to him.
00:24:23
SAM DOUGLAS: Billy
Joel Tracy was now
00:24:25
serving two life sentences
plus an additional 75 years
00:24:30
for ongoing violent assaults.
00:24:33
Following a failed prison
escape in April 2014,
00:24:37
Tracy was moved for a fourth
time to the Telford Unit
00:24:41
based in New Boston, Texas.
00:24:47
MARK ADCOCK JR: The Barry
Telford Unit can house
00:24:49
approximately 2,900 inmates.
00:24:51
There is an administrative
segregation.
00:24:53
There's general population.
00:24:55
It's more known in the state
as a rougher prison.
00:25:00
My name is Mark
Anthony Adcock Jr.
00:25:02
I was the video
surveillance sergeant
00:25:04
at the Barry Telford Unit
where Billy Joel Tracy
00:25:06
was incarcerated.
00:25:08
My father had worked
there, and I was working
00:25:11
on my criminal justice degree.
00:25:14
MARK ADCOCK SR:
My name is Mark Adcock.
00:25:16
I'm a former captain
of corrections
00:25:19
at the Barry Telford Unit.
00:25:20
I was pleased when
my son went to work
00:25:22
for the Texas Department
of Criminal Justice.
00:25:26
MARK ADCOCK JR: We were
one of the first prisons
00:25:28
in the state of Texas
to have full access
00:25:31
to video surveillance.
00:25:33
But I want to say there's
three to 400 cameras
00:25:35
on the Barry Telford Unit.
00:25:37
The cameras are designed
to deter dangerous activity
00:25:41
from inmates.
00:25:43
SAM DOUGLAS: Under the watchful
eye of the security cameras and
00:25:47
Mark Adcock was
36-year-old Billy Tracy,
00:25:51
who was being housed in ad
seg in complete isolation.
00:26:00
- My first interaction
with Billy Joel Tracy
00:26:03
was he had gotten a
disciplinary case for something
00:26:06
fairly minor, but I had
to go get his statement.
00:26:10
All offenders who come in,
I look over their records,
00:26:13
so I was pretty well-versed
in what he was capable of.
00:26:17
MARK ADCOCK JR: Billy Tracy
was not a very tall inmate.
00:26:21
I would say he's
probably 5'8", 5'10".
00:26:24
But he was very hulking,
very muscular, very fit.
00:26:28
Probably not a lot of body
fat content on him--
00:26:30
worked out a lot.
00:26:34
LYNN LAROWE: He
had probably spent
00:26:36
a total combined
number of years
00:26:38
in administrative segregation.
00:26:40
What did he have to do
for 24 or 23 hours a day?
00:26:44
It really seems to me
that he used his time
00:26:48
to work out, bulk himself
up, get very, very strong,
00:26:51
and to think of new
and inventive ways
00:26:54
to attack and assault.
00:27:00
SAM DOUGLAS: Working
alongside the Adcocks was
00:27:03
Officer Timothy
Davison, a 47-year-old
00:27:06
father of two from Chicago.
00:27:11
KEN DAVISON: My name
is Ken Davison.
00:27:14
I'm the brother of Tim Davison.
00:27:16
My brother and I were
very close growing up.
00:27:19
Tim was my younger
brother by nine years.
00:27:21
And we would go
fishing, and we would
00:27:23
take my daughters camping,
and we spent a lot of
00:27:27
time together.
00:27:29
He was a man of honor,
and he loved his children.
00:27:31
He was the type
of person that would give
00:27:33
you the shirt off his back.
00:27:34
He would help you
in any way he could.
00:27:37
SAM DOUGLAS: Tim had
relocated to Texas
00:27:40
after securing a job
as a correctional officer
00:27:43
at Telford prison.
00:27:45
His brother, Ken, was already
working there teaching inmates.
00:27:51
One of Tim's colleagues
was Mark Adcock Jr.
00:27:55
MARK ADCOCK JR: I
was an instructor
00:27:57
in the training course, so I
met him right at the beginning
00:28:00
of his training.
00:28:01
You could tell that he was just
a decent, good human being.
00:28:05
And then after he got
through with training,
00:28:08
he went to work
on my dad's shift.
00:28:11
MARK ADCOCK SR: Mr.
Davison came to my shift,
00:28:13
and he was a quiet man.
00:28:15
He never complained.
00:28:17
He always showed up for work
on time, ready to work,
00:28:21
and he was always
eager to learn.
00:28:23
He was a joy to me
to work with.
00:28:25
- Tim had never worked
in a prison before.
00:28:28
It was long hours.
00:28:29
They were 12-hour shifts.
00:28:31
He just constantly talked about
spending time with his kids,
00:28:34
and I got the sense that
Tim was enjoying his job
00:28:37
and that he had a passion
for helping people.
00:28:40
SAM DOUGLAS: While
working in ad seg,
00:28:42
the solitary confinement
section of the prison,
00:28:45
Tim had had fleeting
interactions with Tracy.
00:28:53
On the morning
of July 15, 2015,
00:28:56
Tracy was in the exercise yard.
00:29:00
MARK ADCOCK SR: He had gone
outside for his one-hour rec,
00:29:03
and then his one-hour
rec was over.
00:29:05
Mr. Davison handcuffed
him and escorted
00:29:08
him back toward his cell.
00:29:11
And it was only, like, maybe
30 feet from the recreation
00:29:15
to his cell, and then right
when he got to his cell,
00:29:18
he had slipped out
of his handcuffs somehow.
00:29:22
And that's when
the attack started.
00:29:24
They were fighting
back and forth some,
00:29:26
and then the slot
bar that he held
00:29:28
fell off Mr. Davison's
body onto the floor.
00:29:31
And the offender was
on top of Mr. Davison.
00:29:34
He grabbed the slot bar and
started beating him with it.
00:29:39
LYNN LAROWE: That
metal tray slot bar
00:29:42
is a pipe about that big round,
and it's about 16 inches long.
00:29:46
You're talking about
a piece of steel.
00:29:48
The pipe is used
to insert into a hole next
00:29:51
to a slot in the inmate's
prison cell doors,
00:29:55
and it causes the little
slot window to pop open.
00:29:58
I mean, it's like hitting
someone almost with a hammer.
00:30:02
It's brutal.
00:30:03
It's a very effective weapon.
00:30:05
- I don't know how
many times he hit him.
00:30:08
I try not to think about it.
00:30:11
- After beating him
into unconsciousness,
00:30:14
Billy Joel Tracy picked
up Timothy Davison's body
00:30:18
and hurled it down the stairs
towards a gathering
00:30:21
crowd of other
correctional officers
00:30:24
and then sprayed the air
with pepper spray
00:30:26
so that it would be difficult
for them to walk up there.
00:30:32
- He just walked like he was
taking a walk in the park
00:30:36
up to his cell.
00:30:37
He didn't slam the door.
00:30:39
He just shut it.
00:30:41
So he was very calm.
00:30:42
Mr. Davison was not a very big
guy, so he chose him, I think,
00:30:47
because he thought he was
going to be an easy target.
00:30:53
SAM DOUGLAS: Tim Davison
was rushed to the hospital
00:30:56
by helicopter.
00:30:58
The prison was immediately
placed on lockdown,
00:31:01
and Tracy was taken
to a secure holding cell.
00:31:06
Video surveillance
sergeant, Mark Adcock Jr,
00:31:09
was immediately called in.
00:31:11
MARK ADCOCK JR: I got through
the security checkpoint,
00:31:13
and they kind of briefed
me, hey, this happened.
00:31:16
Go lock down the cameras.
00:31:17
Got on my camera system.
00:31:19
I backed up the time, and I
looked at what happened.
00:31:21
There was camera angles
of here, here, here,
00:31:24
all angles of the camera.
00:31:26
You could just see everything
from six different angles
00:31:29
as it was happening.
00:31:30
That's the first
time that anybody
00:31:32
had ever seen the incident.
00:31:36
So right now you got Billy
Tracy-- he's being escorted up
00:31:39
the stairs by Officer Davison.
00:31:41
He's holding on to him.
00:31:43
He's going up to the thing,
telling them to open the door.
00:31:45
And you can see
when he's coming up
00:31:47
those stairs that he's
fidgeting with his right arm
00:31:50
behind his back.
00:31:51
It's hard to say what he's
doing, what he's not doing.
00:31:54
He has handcuffs on.
00:31:56
- When the cuffs were put on,
they were not double-locked
00:32:00
as they're supposed to be.
00:32:01
And, you know,
Tracy obviously has
00:32:03
had decades of experience
with handcuffs,
00:32:06
and somehow he managed
to defeat those cuffs,
00:32:10
slip a hand free.
00:32:13
- And then he comes
around, and when
00:32:17
Davison turns his back to open
his door, cell number 66,
00:32:21
he attacks him.
00:32:25
It was the worst
thing I'd ever seen.
00:32:28
SAM DOUGLAS: For Tim's
brother, Ken,
00:32:31
the day had started
like any other.
00:32:35
KEN DAVISON: July 15, 2015,
I got up about 6 o'clock
00:32:40
in the morning, had a cup
of coffee with my brother.
00:32:42
He went off to work.
00:32:44
Then late morning my phone
rang, and it was my wife.
00:32:48
Somebody had told
her that he was hurt,
00:32:51
and I needed to go
to the hospital to see him.
00:32:53
And it just all
spiraled from there.
00:32:57
I just thought maybe he
had a knock in the head,
00:33:00
and he was going to be fine.
00:33:02
We'd be laughing
about it tomorrow.
00:33:04
When I got to the hospital,
I was there maybe 20 minutes,
00:33:08
and then I hear
my hysterical wife
00:33:10
screaming, running down the
hallway, and said he was dead.
00:33:14
I just never thought
that he would be dead.
00:33:20
MARK ADCOCK SR: The staff,
as well as the entire unit,
00:33:23
was absolutely
devastated, devastated.
00:33:29
It's heartbreaking
to lose a fellow officer,
00:33:32
and to lose him in that way
made it 100 times worse.
00:33:47
- They got him to CHRISTUS
St. Michael Hospital
00:33:50
in Texarkana, Texas,
which is the closest
00:33:53
medical facility there was.
00:33:56
I think he was pronounced dead,
you know, within an hour or so
00:33:59
of arriving at the hospital.
00:34:02
His injuries were
just too extensive.
00:34:04
They were not survivable.
00:34:06
- They put seven pints of blood
in my brother in the helicopter
00:34:10
ride to the hospital,
and it all poured
00:34:13
out of the back of his head.
00:34:14
- What was the need in this?
00:34:16
What was the purpose of this?
00:34:18
Why did this get to this point?
00:34:20
It makes you realize
that this is a real job,
00:34:23
and this is something that
could happen every single day
00:34:25
in the United States.
00:34:34
SAM DOUGLAS: 37-year-old
Billy Joel Tracy had just
00:34:37
brutally killed father
of two, correctional
00:34:41
officer Tim Davison.
00:34:43
He was now being held
in a holding cell.
00:34:49
MARK ADCOCK SR: We had
staff monitoring him,
00:34:52
you know, 24 hours, constantly.
00:34:54
And he was running his
mouth how bad he was
00:34:57
and how, you know, I'm
going to do it again.
00:35:00
He wasn't remorseful
or anything.
00:35:02
SAM DOUGLAS: He was
taken for questioning.
00:35:20
- He doesn't attribute
value to human life.
00:35:24
He's not capable
of thinking, oh, my gosh,
00:35:27
I just ended a man's life.
00:35:29
What is his family
going to think?
00:35:31
He has an inability
to feel empathy or remorse.
00:35:57
MARK ADCOCK JR: Billy
Tracy knew what he
00:35:58
was going to do that morning.
00:35:59
When he woke up, he knew he
was going to, if he could,
00:36:02
and the opportunity
presented itself,
00:36:04
he was going
to attack an officer.
00:36:06
The reasons for that--
00:36:07
I do not know.
00:36:09
SAM DOUGLAS: News of the murder
soon reached the press.
00:36:12
LYNN LAROWE: I was in the
newsroom at my former job,
00:36:16
and we were all shocked.
00:36:18
I believe this
is the first time
00:36:20
that a correctional officer
with the Texas Department
00:36:23
of Criminal Justice had been
killed in seven or eight years.
00:36:27
It certainly had never
happened at the Telford Unit,
00:36:30
not in my experience
as a reporter.
00:36:38
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy was
charged with the murder
00:36:41
of Tim Davison,
whose death affected
00:36:45
everyone in the community.
00:36:47
KEN DAVISON: Timothy's
funeral service,
00:36:50
it was heart-wrenching.
00:36:52
It was humbling.
00:36:54
It was about 3,000 or 4,000
people showed up for that.
00:36:57
There were people there
that really cared.
00:37:00
After his death, the governor
asked for the flags
00:37:04
to be flown at half staff
until he was laid to rest.
00:37:08
They awarded him
the Medal of Honor.
00:37:11
- He earned the right
to have that type of funeral.
00:37:14
Everybody was somber,
and the community
00:37:18
was still in shock about it.
00:37:20
Timothy Davison
was a good man who
00:37:22
was killed by a evil person,
a coward, a opportunist.
00:37:30
SAM DOUGLAS: A grand jury
indicted Billy Joel Tracy
00:37:33
with capital murder.
00:37:35
After two years of pretrial
proceedings, his trial began.
00:37:42
Extra security was required to
contain this unpredictable and
00:37:47
volatile prisoner.
00:37:49
LYNN LAROWE: They
installed a giant bolt
00:37:52
to the floor underneath the
defense table in the courtroom
00:37:56
so that they could
shackle Tracy
00:37:57
while he was
sitting at the table
00:37:59
so that he could
not get up and run.
00:38:01
That's how concerned they
were about his behavior.
00:38:06
I think everybody expected
him to be convicted.
00:38:08
I think the only question
was, would the jury
00:38:11
impose the death
penalty, or would
00:38:12
they give him life without
the possibility of parole?
00:38:17
KEN DAVISON: Being in the same
room with him, I don't know,
00:38:20
maybe I'm struggling
for the right words.
00:38:23
It's an emotion that people
shouldn't have to have.
00:38:27
LYNN LAROWE: When I saw Billy
Joel Tracy in a courtroom,
00:38:30
it kind of made the hair stand
up on the back of my neck,
00:38:34
I have to admit.
00:38:35
Something about him--
he just gave off a vibe.
00:38:38
Like, I'd sooner kill
you than look at you.
00:38:42
MARK ADCOCK SR: He did not
seem remorseful at all.
00:38:45
He just sat there.
00:38:46
He didn't really say
nothing or had no emotion.
00:38:50
He just looked like he was at
a movie or something, you know.
00:38:55
LYNN LAROWE: Tracy's
reasoning that he
00:38:58
gave for attacking Timothy
Davison was that he claimed
00:39:03
Davison owed him
a cell phone and
00:39:05
that he had paid
him $500 for it,
00:39:07
but there was really no
evidence to support that.
00:39:11
SAM DOUGLAS:
The video surveillance
00:39:13
footage of the attack was
screened to the courtroom.
00:39:17
- When we pushed play
to the time the video ended,
00:39:19
you could feel, like, there was
a different energy in the room.
00:39:24
They just witnessed something
that nobody should have
00:39:27
to witness, but they'd also--
00:39:28
I think it made the trial
real at that point.
00:39:34
LYNN LAROWE: It
was very quiet, but
00:39:37
there was a palpable just sense
of revulsion and of sadness.
00:39:43
I can still see that video
playing in my mind's eye.
00:39:47
It will never leave my mind.
00:39:50
And it is one
of the most, if not
00:39:53
the most, disturbing
piece of video footage I
00:39:56
have ever watched in my life.
00:39:58
But you also heard a few gasps.
00:40:01
Some of the jurors
were literally
00:40:03
wiping tears from their eyes.
00:40:06
KEN DAVISON: Heartbroken
to watch that video.
00:40:09
When you see somebody
you love and care
00:40:11
for that they're
so disfigured from a beating,
00:40:16
nobody should have
to go through that.
00:40:21
MARK ADCOCK JR:
The Texas Department
00:40:22
of Criminal Justice
implementing
00:40:23
the video surveillance
system, and
00:40:25
it coming to the Telford
Unit when it did,
00:40:28
was one of the greatest
things that
00:40:30
could have happened as far
as procurement of evidence
00:40:34
against an offender
in probably TDCJ history.
00:40:38
There's no way that somebody
could look at that and be like,
00:40:41
I don't know if that's him.
00:40:44
SAM DOUGLAS: After
a five-day trial,
00:40:47
Tracy was found guilty
of capital murder.
00:40:50
In the sentencing phase,
the jury deliberated
00:40:53
for less than an hour
before sentencing
00:40:57
the 39-year-old to death.
00:40:59
LYNN LAROWE: What else
do you do with him?
00:41:01
He is the textbook example
of a case that, in Texas,
00:41:05
is ripe for the death penalty.
00:41:08
Billy Joel Tracy was stoic when
the verdict of guilt was read.
00:41:14
MARK ADCOCK JR: It
was a good feeling.
00:41:16
It's hard to say it
wasn't a good feeling.
00:41:18
Happy.
00:41:19
Everybody's hugging.
00:41:21
Justice for somebody whose
life was taken from them.
00:41:25
- Our family kind of all
congratulated everybody.
00:41:29
People felt relieved.
00:41:31
We felt that maybe the healing
process could start.
00:41:35
But you don't get your brother
back, so Tim's gone for good.
00:41:44
JAMIE MORGAN KANE:
I think that if you
00:41:46
feel the person is so bad
you can never, ever,
00:41:50
ever, ever let him out again,
I think the death penalty is
00:41:53
far kinder to them and far
cheaper for society
00:41:57
than to keep somebody
on death row.
00:42:00
If they can't live
in the society
00:42:02
and you can't have them
out of the society,
00:42:04
what do you do with them?
00:42:13
SAM DOUGLAS: For those
who knew Tim Davison,
00:42:16
his death has had
a lasting impact.
00:42:20
- I can't help
but feel a little bit
00:42:23
responsible because he
worked directly for me,
00:42:26
and I made the rosters
out that placed
00:42:29
him that day on that pod.
00:42:32
Every year on that
date, I think
00:42:34
about it pretty much all day.
00:42:37
KEN DAVISON: The loss
of my brother
00:42:38
is like a hole in my heart.
00:42:40
I feel so fortunate to be able
to take my brother the weekend
00:42:45
before he died up to see his
daughters for the last time.
00:42:49
I got to snap one picture of
him hugging his two daughters.
00:42:52
It's such a tragedy
to have him taken from you,
00:42:55
like, so suddenly that
I don't know that you're
00:42:58
ever totally healed from that.
00:43:03
SAM DOUGLAS: Tracy is currently
being held at the Polunsky Unit
00:43:08
in West Livingston, where
he'll remain until his death
00:43:12
warrant is issued.
00:43:15
- The day of his execution,
a moment, two or three seconds
00:43:18
after it, I'll say,
OK, it's good now.
00:43:21
But right now,
he's still living
00:43:22
on Texas taxpayers' dimes.
00:43:25
So he hasn't gotten what he
deserved yet, but he's close.
00:43:29
KEN DAVISON: I have
two family members
00:43:31
that if we're allowed
to go watch the execution,
00:43:34
they would wish to be there.
00:43:36
I have other family
members that don't want to.
00:43:39
I'd like to have
a front row seat.
00:43:42
I just hope I don't
die of old age first.
00:43:48
MARK ADCOCK JR: If you
look at Billy Tracy's MO,
00:43:50
every incident he's ever
had in the state of Texas,
00:43:53
always women, older
guys, 16-year-old girls.
00:43:57
That's what he does.
00:43:59
He's a coward.
00:44:00
He's not a tough, strong man.
00:44:02
- I believe that
Billy Joel Tracy is
00:44:05
a danger to everyone he meets.
00:44:07
He may act like he's
your friend for a little while.
00:44:10
He may follow all
the rules to a T,
00:44:14
but eventually, he's
going to strike.
00:44:17
And he's going
to strike with a plan,
00:44:18
and he's going to strike
with a deadly plan.
00:44:25
[theme music]
